Chase Lanier, the beverage manager at Sorry Charlie’s oyster bar in Savannah, takes full advantage of nature’s bounty in his seasonal cocktails, even incorporating produce that one might not expect. Take, for instance, the Garden Heat Margarita, which counters the quenching coolness of a chilled margarita with a zap of heat—and depth of flavor—courtesy of muddled hot peppers. “I wanted not just to make a spicy margarita, but also to craft a drink that celebrates the garden and delicious peppers,” he says. “And I incorporate basil and cilantro to bring forward a balanced, herbal flavor.”
While Sorry Charlie’s goes full mixologist with a mingling of several peppers, Lanier advises that home bartenders can opt to use only serrano for simplicity, or any pepper according to preferred level of spiciness or what’s popping at the farmers’ market or in the garden. One thing that remains traditional? The size. “This is the big, generous margarita that people think of when they order a margarita,” he says.
